Improve Your Nonfiction Writing Skills for More Engagement

If your nonfiction writing isn't generating engagement and captivating readers, you might think it’s due to a lack of knowledge, stats, facts, or perhaps repetitive content. However, I would disagree with that assumption.

Yeah, they won’t make a difference if they’re not presented effectively. 

Reason?

In a world overflowing with information, no one will be willing to stick around for boring, dull, or lifeless content. Humans naturally crave suspense, twists, curiosity, emotions, and stories. 

Now don’t tell me it sounds like fiction writing. You're still in the nonfiction arena. Because both require

• Strategy

• Creativity

• Storytelling

• Engaging tone

• Freshness & Uniqueness

• An understanding of your target audience

So let’s discuss how to make nonfiction writing sticky—something your reader just can’t put down.

Avoid 6 Mistakes to Make Your Nonfiction Writing Effective

Many common mistakes make your nonfiction writing hard to read. But they aren’t hard to cover. Avoid these red flags to transform your writing that readers can’t wait to finish.

1. Not using stories to explain a context

Stories always remain green in mind and they easily resonate with the readers. Storytelling techniques enhance nonfiction writing.

2. Using complicated sentences

Try to write in an active voice to make the text digestible. Invest time to write simple and with storytelling to keep the reader till the end.

3. No uniqueness and Catchy title

Bother, why would readers like to read your book? Fresh perspectives and hooky content in nonfiction really matter.

4. Don’t know who is your audience

If you don’t know who wants to be inspired, goal-oriented, or learned, you fail to attract them. Keep in mind why your reader wants this while writing.

5. Zero emotional connection

Your readers are humans, not robots. Emotional and suspense elements in your nonfiction help to pull readers and keep them invested.

6. Not having a professional touch

It is always possible to rely on services that will help to edit, create better strategies, and give more valuable advice regarding the presented content.

Follow 10 Tips to Become a Better Nonfiction Writer

Here are the 10 tips that make your nonfiction worth reading. 

1. Know Your Audience’s Needs Like a Friend

Nonfiction is most reliant on a relationship with the audience and building that relationship means understanding your audience. 

Simply, focus on creating a reader persona. 

2. Study until You know all there is to know (and beyond)

Research is paralleled by writing. If research is weak, writing will also be weak. To write useful nonfiction, go from credible information. It helps to add depth and creativity to your content.

3. Add Your Personal Touch 

Your outlook is your strength. While readers go in search of facts and figures, they seek understanding and practical experience. It makes your nonfiction trustworthy.

4. Structure Is Everything

Nonfiction needs a clear and hooky beginning, a precise body, and summarized end in an organized manner.  

5. Style Your Tone According To Your Audience

Boring and too-formal writing turns people off. People prefer material that does not seem structured, programmed, or run through an algorithm.

Writing can be fun, thus, it is recommended to vary the tone to fit your audience.

6. Why You Should ‘Break the Rules’ … (But Not How You Think)

Grammar and structure matter, but so do pacing and composition, which can be flexible. A personal touch can make rule-breaking feel creative.  

Simplicity doesn’t mean being basic; it enhances clarity and makes your message more understandable.

7. Editing and Proofreading

In your first draft, your writing is never going to be flawless. Proofreading is where good writing gets polished. It helps to improve sentence construction, reduce the wordiness of paragraphs, and assess the overall readability.

8. Read Nonfiction Widely

I believe that to become a great writer, you must be a great reader. 

Read memoirs, essays, and instructional books. Observe the ways that authors of texts organize them, express concepts and thoughts, and provide continuity.

9. Use Storytelling Method

Yeah, not everything that is nonfiction has to be a snore. Storytelling can be used in each piece. For facts to become more approachable, information must become personal.

10. Be Patient with Yourself

Growing as a nonfiction writer is not a one-day process. It is a process of experimentation, analysis, work, and study. Don’t forget to have fun and memorialize some of the little victories you accomplished while writing your nonfiction.

Improvement in Nonfiction Writing Is Possible with the Right Approach!

Nonfiction writing is a blend of art and science. This is when there almost truth-telling, simplicity, and communication are at play. Short, simple, direct, and about the reader content, make your nonfiction writing digestible and lovable. 

And don’t worry if you ever are overwhelmed, know this—you don’t have to do it by yourself. Brilliant Media is here to help you with your nonfiction writing.